monica choy : curator

class photo

2008-08-19T10:13:00.001-07:00

things have been busy busy busy over here in 12. deadlines are coming up quickly and one of the projects that i'm working on will be going into production and out in the real world soon. scary and also very exciting.

the weather's been thunderstormy lately, but 12 is still full of free food, a lot of work, and even some strawberry milk. yey!

3-day weekend

2008-08-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

this was a busy weekend. first thursday openings, art & music in the park, and the beach.

evan b. harris just opened another wonderful solo show at compound gallery. all the work was nautical themed this time and i love the nesting dolls he did!

fifty24pdx gallery featured the work of cody hudson this month. i originally saw his work in person two years ago when upper playground opened their portland location and it's changed so much since then - a lot more installation and exploration.

upper playground is going to be opening up a new location in seattle sometime this upcoming month. that makes locations in SF, portland, london, LA, sacramento, berkeley, and now seattle...all (except SF of course) opening in just the last two years!

upper playground had a party in the park on saturday and had live painting, live djs, and lots of lazing about in the beautiful weather.

king hercules

the beach was...gorgeous.

12 and friends went to ecola beach on sunday. the weather was overcast but mild and i spent the day sticking my hands in tide pools and cracks in rocks trying to pet the starfish and tiny baby hermit crabs.

richard the crab

CANDY!!!

ABC 3D

2008-08-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

this fantastic book is coming out this october. first of all, i love pop-up books and secondly, i love the 'hidden' letters. already have mine preordered. <3

fasciinatiion

2008-08-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

mike from 12 broke out all his fenagling skills and scored some VIP tickets to the faint concert tonight. they're on tour to promote their forthcoming album 'fasciinatiion'. the faint hails from his hometown (omaha), so we had to go and represent 12... plus the faint is awesome.

it was a really rad concert and we were so close, you could feel their sweat.

the show was at the crystal ballroom, famous for its 'floating' mechanical dance floor. the floor is constructed so that it bounces and has give to it as people move across it - supposedly a lot better for dancer knees and ankles and a lot of fun for concerts.

the place was packed and people were throwing everything from bras to pants onstage. pants? kids nowadays.

so loud you had to text to talk to each other:
OMG! we <3 u faint! (^_~) lol!

space 1026

2008-07-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

lately i've been feeling a little burnt out and dry of inspiration. i miss making things and despite the creative nature of 12, all the running around and answering emails and different projects have been keeping me from doing creative things outside of the office. it seems when i'm not working i only feel like sleeping or reading or watching food network because i'm so tired. (>_<)

in an attempt to try to understand working as a collective and balancing things better, i decided to read up a little about this group in Philadelphia that i had heard about a while back. i recall reading a feature about them and their 'ewok village' installation a few years ago.

space 1026 is a group of artist studios and people who create individually but also very communally as well. they all have their own artistic styles and voice but they've also been doing a lot of group installations that incorporate the whole group working as one, not just a bunch of people putting their individual work on a wall together.

it's so intriguing to see how a group of people can successfully put their egos and individual agendas aside for a moment and work for the benefit of the group. i mean, that's what we're supposed to do with 12, but we're still learning.

Space 1026 interview

oh, p.s. adam wallacavage is part of this group. great photographer and sculptor.

sony rolly

2008-07-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

today i saw the first Sony Rolly to er... roll into the US. w+k global executive creative director john jay brought this little guy in to show us this morning. they are currently only available in japan, but he brought one back. i couldn't stop smiling while watching it dance.

the idea is to take the traditional mp3 player and make it more than just a static object sitting on your desk - make it fun and make it interactive. <3

beautiful losers

2008-07-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

last week, the director and producers of the new Beautiful Losers movie came to do a screening at w+k. it's so amazing to see how this small crop of artists that were brought together by NY's alleged gallery became such huge influencers and pioneers for the current low brow scene.

aaron rose started alleged gallery in a shady NY storefront in 1992 and for ten years, ran the gallery and fostered a whole generation of post-punk, skateboarding creators and helped forge their DIY attitude.

the movie features such influential artists as barry mcgee, margaret kilgallen, ed templeton, thomas campbell, and many others. the original filming included doing interviews with over 70 different artists, and these select few were chosen to be in the movie because of their great stories and their role in the current art world.

this movie has been 5 years in the making and it opens in select theaters across the US around august, though they've been doing screenings in the past few months in film festivals.

beautiful losers trailer

movie synopsis:

Beautiful Losers celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural movements of a generation. In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the "establishment" art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture. Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories...speaking to themes of what happens when the outside becomes "in" as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today's youth.

pressure printing

2008-07-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

hi-fructose magazine is coming out with a hand-printed travis louie etching, just in time for San Diego Comic Con. the print is being made through denver-based pressure printing.

each piece is hand-printed and tea stained and signed by the artist. the prints are then framed in a beautiful antiqued resin frame with bubble glass in the classic Louie style.

pressure printing has done a number of beautiful prints with pop-surrealist artists like audrey kawasaki, glenn barr, mark ryden, and many others. they document the tedious process on their blog.

not only are their prints beautiful, but pressure printing does their own framing and in their recent print with audrey kawasaki, made all the frames for her pieces from scratch!

everyone is jumping on the print wagon lately because of the impending recess, but pressure printing does really high quality prints with special attention to precision and detail and should definitely be a place to check out if you can't snag an original.

<3

edwin ushiro artwork

2008-07-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

remnant of light exiting a pupil .edwin ushiro.

this saturday is the opening of edwin ushiro's solo show at project: gallery. i just took a peek of the pieces on the gallery's website and i'm super sad i won't be able to see it all in person. i've posted a few of the pieces, but you can check out the rest of the artwork here: "While Tides Guide You Back Home"

a space absorbing memories already long forgotten by others .edwin ushiro.

after all the tears have rusted .edwin ushiro.

reaching for things which fell down unnoticed .edwin ushiro.

bees, books, n' booze

2008-07-02T14:06:00.001-07:00

when WK was attacked by swarms of bees yesterday morning, we thought the apocalypse was coming.

apparently the bees lost their queen and followed her scent to the shrubbery on our rooftop and then smashed themselves against her queenly odour.
a beekeeper was called and came and took most of the bunch away and is going to enslave them to make honey for himself and his beekeeper wife. they say that the bees should produce honey for them in a year.

(for those of you who don't know, there is currently a crazy honey bee shortage, i'm sure he was stoked!)

after weeks of work, 12 finished our first real deck for Wordstock. hurrah! (is this the first time i've posted work on here?)

yes.

at 4 o'clock, we all ran up to the roof for michael illick's art show Scott Phillips: A Life. scott is an account dood here and i guess mike's been drawing him for quite a while and eventually made enough sketches to warrant a kickass hoopla of an art show.

introducing will: our shining englishman. we finally got our 13th this past sunday. at long last, 12 is complete.

rob's BFF from high school. they also went to school with this guy.

drinks were had...

and scott tattoos were generously doled out.

<3

edwin ushiro solo

2008-06-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

edwin ushiro is having a solo show soon at project: gallery. the show is titled While Tides Guide You Back Home. i've been a fan of edwin's work for a few years now and i've been lucky enough to show his work a few times too. i'm really excited to see what he'll do with this show. project is such a great space for 1 to 2 person shows.

the show opens july 12 at project: gallery in culver city and he'll be attending the opening, so go and say hi to him for me!

black cab for cutie

2008-06-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

i don't follow music much. not to say that it doesn't move me, but i've always been one of those "oh, i listen to everything" type of people. i never know what to say when people ask me what my favorite kind of music is, or even who my favorite bands are...except for one.

i've been a fan of death cab for cutie since i was a sophomore in college, which is not to say that i'm one of their die-hard fans, but it was before Narrow Stairs, Plans, or even Transatlanticism. death cab fueled me through my period of post-high school teen angst and subsequent emoness. i love them.

but i remember when it all started to get really popular. when kids who went to concerts could only sing along to songs on their newest album. when they appeared and played on the OC. when their only concerts in town were in the biggest venues in town. is this what it feels like when your favorite band "sells out"?

it's weird to follow a band long enough to see them grow and change and finally get into the mainstream. their songs are being played constantly on the radio and MTV gives them clever commercials to advertise their new CD. that's what they've been putting in all the hard work for, right? they're finally getting what they deserve; recognition, tons of fans, record sales...but i am a little sad that i'll never see them at a small venue again.

nevertheless, death cab is still rockin' it and i have not lost hope. my friend jimmy sent me this video they did in london with Black Cab Sessions. all the videos are shot in the backseat of a black taxicab in one take with a band playing one song acoustically. pretty keen.

i still love you death cab. <3

undoboy

2008-06-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

Chean-Wei Law is a WK designer who goes by Undoboy for his personal projects. he just launched his website of toys and other design goodies. i like his style and his block toys are rad.
i'm thinking about getting some of the wall decals for my room!

press

2008-06-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Seattle Weekly

lions and toygers and bears...

2008-06-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

i recently read an article about 'Toygers', a new breed of cat that is currently in the works. the breeder, genetic specialist, judy sugden has been working on this tiger-housecat since the 80s. her mother created the Bengal breed (housecat & wild asian leopard) to try to save actual leopards, hoping people would be deterred from buying pelts that looked like their housecats.

a housecat can't be bred with a tiger, so sugden is "faking it" and instead breeding breeds that carry either the striped or deep amber traits reminiscent of their muse. apparently cat's don't fancy artificial insemination, so the process has been lengthened due to cat-courting time. she estimates that the perfect toyger (carrying full face/body tiger traits) will be ready by 2010.

the result is a muscular, reddish/orange-hued, exotic-looking cat with dog-like traits (they like to swim!) that is really very beautiful but also very ethically controversial.

read the full article here: Life.com

honda "jump"

2008-06-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

i know this has been out for a while, but since i don't have a tv, i haven't seen it until now. this is an ad wieden worked on for honda accord. it took many test trials & rehearsals and utilized around 50 uber-experienced (1000s of jumps) skydivers. they even made a documentary about it. sweet.

.seattle.

2008-06-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

[show panoramic]

this weekend i went up to seattle to install my first photography show, "this place is a prison" featuring work from angela dawn, emily ibarra, & jack raynard.

me & angela

angela's mini prints

this guy came in and started dancing and taking off his shirt. he wouldn't leave. (i didn't know my show was that good! ;P)

the elusive bigfoot was having a solo show at BLVD gallery down the street.

can't leave the house without your copy of the truth about chuck norris: "one time a rattlesnake bit chuck norris. after 5 painful days the snake died."

the next day we went exploring the international district (ie chinatown) and the chinese girl's drill team was doing a performance for the opening of the new chinese cultural museum opening there.

the girls were so disciplined and their timing was perfect. i have never seen anything like it before.

my friend sohaila met up with my dad, brother, johnny & i to do a little snack shopping at uwajimaya. yum!

the cans of drink and bags of candies are the cutest - i heart asian markets.

speaking of asian markets, here's an old store they have preserved in chinatown. one of the first chinese general stores in seattle. gotta love those sweet & sour balls.

this place is a prison

2008-06-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

this upcoming friday night will be the opening of This Place is a Prison, my first photography show and probably my last show for a year since i'm in school. the photographs are already up on the website, so please check them out if you're not in the area. you can see them here: Suite 100 Gallery

martin atkins video

2008-06-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

martin atkins is a drummer and a music producer who has drummed with johnny rotten (public image ltd.), trent reznor (NIN), ministry, pigface, and most recently has done a lot of producing for up-and-coming bands in Beijing.

he is owner of invisible records and he's written a book on bands and the business of touring called "Tour:Smart" and he came to speak to 12 last week about his endeavors and to encourage us to have a wide skill-set and also to keep thinking outside the box or cd cover.

he is a big supporter of cross-promoting events. mixing medias and reaching people when their guard is down. (ie using an art show for a cd release or having a scratch n' sniff record cover) he thrives to create and has this insatiable hunger for something different.

his brainstorming process seems like borderline madness and it was interesting to meet someone who was so freely creative and believes in the virtue of crackpot ideas.

in the middle of our conversation with him, he randomly broke out his video camera and started taping us and our time with him. at the time, i thought 'how strange' - but then he created this amazing video to thank us for having him here at W+K. i hope he'll come to visit us again soon sometime this year.

field trip!

2008-06-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

we met at work at 7:30 in the morning and headed to evergreen museum in mcminnville for the opening of their space museum. we got lost for an hour.

PEW!!!

patriotic parachuters plummetted with plumes of puff. pow. (i love alliteration)

can you imagine falling out of the sky in this?

er...

yah!

monica-sized.

evergreen houses the spruce goose; the biggest friggin plane ever.

mac & cheeraz - fellow 12ers.
oh, i magically became a giant when i took this photo.

and then when we got back, we went to first friday @ grass hut gallery which was splendid.

in other news: i gambled for the first time this weekend; i used only $20.

i did pretty good i think.

yum.

2008-06-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

this is a paper steak.

nerdling

2008-06-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

i've never been a comic book reader. i'd rather go play outside. but lately, i've been reading Fables and uh, i heart it!

i was attracted to Fables because James Jean does their cover art and he is awesome. i've read issues #1-5 and am working on my second trade paperback (is that what you call it?).

if you haven't yet, check it out. (^__^)

recess: wave

thursday!

2008-06-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

[warning: this is a photo dump for june first thursday]

free mimosas in the morning.

caldera art opening
(caldera is an afterschool and outdoor art program for kids founded by dan wieden. it reaches city kids from middle school to college age, pairs them up with mentors, and teaches them to use performing and visual art as an outlet. caldera also provides an artist residency program so that the children involved in the program can have access to professional artists. caldera is also housed in the wieden + kennedy building.)

these are hanging in the lobby now. kinda creepy, but i love them.

mhak @ compound

oiel @ compound

oiel & mhak live painting

APAK!!!

"seven" @ fifty24pdx

ryan bubnis and fifty24pdx curator stephen

ryan's work

ryan jacob smith @ fify24pdx

sylvia ji video

2008-06-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

juxtapoz.com posted this video about the LA art scene, corey helford gallery, and sylvia ji.

sylvia is one of my favorite artists and i find her work very moving in both subject matter and execution. her lines are so clean and the pieces are beautifully painted. i have been lucky enough to have seen her artwork in person last year at White Walls gallery in SF. hopefully i'll have another chance to again soon.

first thursday is on thursday: return to art

2008-06-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

i've been posting a lot about wieden + kennedy and 12 lately because it's been taking up most all of my time. yesterday, i got a chance to do some artsy-helpy type stuff though. I helped Grass Hut pack up some artwork from the J. Otto show they just had and got a little peek at the the artwork for the upcoming show.

Grass Hut Gallery is preparing for their first friday opening of the Yosemite studio show featuring Souther Salazar, Ester Pearl Watson, Seonna Hong, Martha Rich, and Mark Todd who all share the same studio space. <3

i've been a fan of Seonna Hong's for a while. She does animation backgrounds and doesn't show her artwork very often - which makes her work really scarce and a must have. lately she's been showing at Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki gallery.

it should be a really wonderful show! if you are in the portland area, you should come (or look at the artwork on the website):

"Yosemite studio show"
Grass Hut Gallery
811 EAST BURNSIDE
PORTLAND OR 97214
Friday, June 6 2008
6-9pm opening (show runs for the month of June)

and tonight is the opening of two great shows on my old stomping grounds NW 5th & couch:

two japanese artists, MHAK and OEIL will be having their opening at Compound Gallery. i always love to see the new japanese artists that come through compound. because the owner is japanese and their new curator has japanese connections, they are able to have lots of great japanese artists that have either barely or never shown in the US.

"Fractal Edge"
Compound Gallery
107 NW 5TH AVE.
PORTLAND, OR 97209
(503)796-2733
Thursday, June 5 2008
7-10pm opening

trot across the street and at Fifty24PDX, we have the opening of Seven, featuring Corey Arnold, Ryan Bubnis, E*Rock, Caleb Freese & Justin Gorman, Jason Greene, Sara Padgett, and Ryan Jacob Smith. sweet!

ryan bubnis is the best ever, i'm so glad that i'll be able to start my first thursday back in portland with his opening. i've shown his artwork a few times and he's just an all-around ace of a dude. come support him tonight!

Upper Playground's Fifty24PDX gallery only has openings every two months... and this is one of those months... and they don't often show local talent, so you don't want to miss this one!

"SEVEN"
Fifty24PDX
23 NW 5TH AVE.
PORTLAND, OR 97209
(503)548-4835
Thursday, June 5 2008
7-9:30pm opening (runs until July 26)

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in short, it's going to be a wonderful next few days and i will be drowning in all the artsy goodness that is portland (finally!). thank you portland, oregon... it's good to be back. <3